What Happened in September 2001

Historical Events

  • Sep 1 Australian Rugby Union team gives all-conquering captain John Eales perfect send off in his final international with a famous last minute, 29-26 win over New Zealand in Sydney; Wallabies retain Tri Nations Series

Baseball Record

Sep 1 Facing 4-time Cy Young Award winner Greg Maddux, Cubs slugger Sammy Sosa hits the longest home run in Turner Field history as his 53rd of the season travels 471 feet to straight away center

  • Sep 1 Jockey Tim Moccasin caps a streak of 14 consecutive victories, a North American record, at Marquis Downs in Saskatoon, Canada aboard Intricate Stitch in the 5th race

Schumacher Wins #52

Sep 2 German Ferrari driver Michael Schumacher wins the Belgian Grand Prix at Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps for his record 52nd F1 Grand Prix victory

  • Sep 3 In just his 11th start, St. Louis Cardinals' rookie pitcher Bud Smith no-hits the San Diego Padres, 4-0
  • Sep 5 John Cage's musical composition "As Slow as Possible", to be played for 639 years, begins at St. Burchardi Church, Halberstadt, Germany

Video Music Awards

Sep 6 18th MTV Video Music Awards: Lady Marmalade, Eve f/ Gwen Stefani & Moby f/ Gwen Stefani win

Music History

Sep 7 30th Anniversary Celebration of singer Michael Jackson's solo career held at NYC's Madison Square Garden features an all-star line-up. including a reunion with his brothers for a medley of their hits

  • Sep 7 The US Federal Trade Commission approves Chevron's bid to buy Texaco

I Just Can't Get You Out of My Head

Sep 8 Kylie Minogue releases her single "I Just Can't Get You Out of My Head", the biggest of her career

US Open Women's Tennis

Sep 8 US Open Women's Tennis: Venus Williams successfully defends title; beats younger sister Serena Williams 6-2, 6-4

Band of Brothers

Sep 9 "Band of Brothers" based on book by Stephen E. Ambrose, created by Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks premieres, then most expensive miniseries ever made

  • Sep 9 At 01:46:40 UTC the time on the Unix clock in milliseconds passes 1 billion since January 1, 1970, which Unix systems recognize as zero-time

Event of Interest

Sep 9 Two al-Qaeda linked suicide bombers disguised as journalists kill Northern Alliance leader Ahmad Shah Massoud by detonating explosives hidden in a camera and a battery-pack belt while interviewing him in Takhar Province, northeastern Afghanistan

US Men's Tennis Open

Sep 9 US Open Men's Tennis: Lleyton Hewitt of Australia becomes youngest (20) world #1 player; beats Pete Sampras 7-6, 6-1, 6-1

Film & TV History

Sep 10 Indian actor Amitabh Bachchan is awarded Actor of the Century at the Alexandria Film Festival

Event of Interest

Sep 11 Attempt by passengers and crew of United Airlines Flight 93 to retake control of their hijacked plane from terrorists causes plane to crash in Pennsylvania field killing all 64 people on board

  • Sep 11 Betty Farmer, American jazz and cabaret singer, killed in World Trade Center attack at 62

Blueprint

Sep 11 Jay-Z releases his album "Blueprint" featuring contributions by Eminem and Kanye West

  • Sep 11 Terrorists hijack a passenger plane and crash it into the Pentagon causing the deaths of 125 people

9/11 Attack on NY's World Trade Towers

Sep 11 Two passenger planes hijacked by Al Qaeda terrorists crash into New York's World Trade Towers causing the collapse of both and deaths of 2,606 people

  • Sep 12 Ansett Australia, Australia's first commercial interstate airline, collapses due to increased strain on the international airline industry leaving 10000 people unemployed.
  • Sep 12 Article V of the NATO agreement is invoked for the first and only time in response to the September 11, 2001 attacks against the United States of America.
  • Sep 13 Civilian aircraft traffic resumes in the U.S. after the September 11, 2001 attacks.
  • Sep 13 Relative calm returns to world oil markets as US retail gasoline prices return to normal levels; energy trading by Houston energy companies resumes and limited commercial aviation starts
  • Sep 14 Historic National Prayer Service held at Washington National Cathedral for victims of the September 11 attacks. A similar service is held in Canada on Parliament Hill, the largest vigil ever held in the nation's capital.
  • Sep 15 26th Toronto International Film Festival: "Amelie" directed by Jean-Pierre Jeunet wins the People's Choice Award

Sports History

Sep 17 Despite suffering from lung cancer and Parkinson's disease, Jack Buck stirs emotions by reading a patriotic-themed poem during the pregame ceremonies on baseball's first night back after the September 11th terrorist attacks

  • Sep 17 Major trading markets in the United States, including the New York Stock Exchange and the New York Mercantile Exchange (NYMEX), reopen for the first time since September 11
  • Sep 18 First mailing of anthrax letters from Trenton, New Jersey in the 2001 anthrax attacks.

Event of Interest

Sep 20 In an address to a joint session of Congress and the American people, US President George W. Bush declares a "war on terror"

  • Sep 21 AZF chemical plant explodes in Toulouse, France, killing 29 people
  • Sep 21 Deep Space 1 flies within 2,200 km of Comet Borrelly.
  • Sep 21 University of Roorkee, becomes India's 7th Indian Institute of Technology, rechristened as IIT Roorkee
  • Sep 24 Crude oil and petroleum products futures fall to their lowest levels in nearly two years amid fears that a recession will reduce energy demand
  • Sep 27 At its two-day meeting in Vienna, OPEC decides to keep its production quotas unchanged at 23.2 million barrels per day, despite crude oil being at its lowest price levels since 1999
  • Sep 29 The Syracuse Herald-Journal, a U.S. newspaper dating back to 1839, ceases publication
2001 History

Famous Birthdays

  • Sep 3 Kaia Gerber, American model and daughter of supermodel Cindy Crawford, born in Los Angeles, California
  • Sep 5 Bukayo Saka, English football player (Arsenal), born in London, England
  • Sep 7 Jason Dupasquier, Swiss motorcycle racer, born in Bulle, Switzerland (d. 2021)
  • Sep 17 India Amarteifio, English actress (Queen Charlotte), born in Kingston upon Thames, England
  • Sep 25 Cade Cunningham, American basketball point guard who was NBA draft 2021 #1 overall pick Detroit Pistons; NBA All-Rookie First Team 2022, born in Arlington, Texas
Born in 2001

Famous Weddings

  • Sep 1 "Buffy The Vampire Slayer" actor Nicholas Brendon (30) weds Tressa Di Figlia in Carlsbad

Anne Heche

Sep 1 "Six Days Seven Nights" actress Anne Heche (32) weds American cameraman Coleman Laffoon in Los Angeles, California; divorce 2009

  • Sep 1 "The Accidental Tourist" actress Geena Davis (45) weds Iranian American plastic surgeon Dr. Reza Jarrahy

Stevie Wonder

Sep 1 American singer-songwriter Stevie Wonder (51) weds (for second time) American fashion designer Kai Millard (20); divorce in 2015

Jennifer Lopez

Sep 29 American singer-actress Jennifer Lopez (32) weds dancer-choreographer Cris Judd (32) in Calabasas, California; divorce in 2004


Famous Deaths

  • Sep 1 Brian Moore, British sports commentator (BBC Radio, London Weekend Television 'The Big Match'), dies of heart failure at 69

Christiaan Barnard (1922-2001)

Sep 2 South African cardiac surgeon who performed the 1st heart transplant, dies from a severe asthma attack at 78

  • Sep 2 Jay Migliori, American saxophonist (Supersax), dies at 70
  • Sep 2 Troy Donahue, American actor (Hawaiian Eye), dies at 65
  • Sep 3 Pauline Kael, American film critic (NY Times), dies at 82
  • Sep 3 Thuy Trang, Vietnamese-American actress (Mighty Morphin Power Rangers), dies at 27
  • Sep 4 Hank the Angry Drunken Dwarf, American radio personality (b. 1962)
  • Sep 5 Heywood Hale Broun, American TV commentator and sports correspondent, dies at 83
  • Sep 5 Justin Wilson, American Cajun chef (Wise Potato Chips) and humorist, dies at 87
  • Sep 5 Vladimir Žerjavić, Croatian economist and UN statistician, dies at 89
  • Sep 6 Carl Crack, German musician (Atari Teenage Riot) (b. 1971)
  • Sep 7 Billie Lou Watt, American actress (Astro Boy), dies at 77
  • Sep 7 Igor Buketoff, American conductor (Iceland Symphony Orchestra, 1964-65), dies at 86
  • Sep 7 Spede Pasanen, Finnish film director and comedian, dies at 71

Ahmad Shah Massoud (1953-2001)

Sep 9 Afghan political and military leader who fought the Soviet Union and led the Northern Alliance against the Taliban, assassinated at 48 in northeastern Afghanistan by al Qaeda-linked suicide bombers disguised as journalists

  • Sep 10 DJ Uncle Al [Albert Moss] American DJ, shot and killed at 32
  • Sep 11 Alice Stewart Trillin, American author, dies at 63
  • Sep 11 Angel L. Juarbe, Jr., American firefighter, dies in the terrorist attack on the World Trade Center at 35
  • Sep 11 Barbara Olson (née Bracher), American political commentator, dies in terror attack aboard flight 77 flown into the Pentagon at 45
  • Sep 11 Berinthia "Berry" Berenson, American photographer, actress, model, and widow of actor Anthony Perkins, dies on American Airlines Flight 11 in the 9/11 attacks at 53
  • Sep 11 Daniel M. Lewin, American–Israeli mathematician and founder of Akamai Technologies, dies in the terror attacks aboard flight 11 at 31
  • Sep 11 David Angell, American sitcom creator (Frazier), dies aboard a plane in a terrorist attack on the World Trade Center at 55
  • Sep 11 Hani Hanjour, Saudi Arabian 9/11 terrorist, dies in Pentagon plane attack at 29
  • Sep 11 Henry Herbert, 7th earl of Carnarvon, English peer and racing manager to the Queen, dies of a heart attack at 77
  • Sep 11 John Ogonowski, American pilot, dies aboard American Airlines Flight 11 in terror attack on the World Trade Center at 50
  • Sep 11 John P. O'Neill, American anti-terrorism expert and FBI agent, dies as Head of Security in the terror attack on the World Trade Center at 49
  • Sep 11 Mark Bingham, American passenger on United Airlines Flight 93, dies thwarting terrorist attempts to crash the plane into a Washington monument at 31
  • Sep 11 Marwan Al-Shehhi, Emirati 9/11 terrorist, dies piloting a plane into the World Trade Center at 23
  • Sep 11 Mohamed Atta, Egyptian 9/11 terrorist and ringleader, dies piloting a plane into the World Trade Center at 33
  • Sep 11 Mychal F. Judge, American Chaplain to NY Fire Dept, dies in the World Trade Center attack at 68
  • Sep 11 Peter J. Ganci, Jr., American Fire fighter (Chief of Department, FDNY_, dies in the terrorist attack on the World Trade Center at 55

Todd Beamer (1968-2001)

Sep 11 American passenger and hero on United Airlines Flight 93, dies at 32 in a plane crash trying to stop the 9/11 terrorists

  • Sep 11 Tom Burnett, American businessman and passenger aboard United 93, dies thwarting terrorist attempts to crash the plane into a Washington monument at 38
  • Sep 11 Ziad Jarrah, Lebanese 9/11 terrorist, dies piloting United Flight 93 at 26
  • Sep 12 Victor Wong [Yee Keung Victor Wong], American actor (Big Trouble in Little China), dies of a heart attack at 74
  • Sep 13 Dorothy McGuire, American actress (Gentlemen's Agreement, Old Yeller, Summer Magic), dies of cardiac arrest following a short illness at 85

Jaroslav Drobný (1921-2001)

Sep 13 Czech ice hockey player (Olympic silver 1948) and tennis player (Wimbledon 1954, French Open 1951-52), dies of a stroke at 79

  • Sep 14 Barbara Mary Ansell, UK founder of paediatric rheumatology, dies at 78
  • Sep 14 Stelios Kazantzidis, Greek singer, dies at 70
  • Sep 15 Fred de Cordova, American film and TV producer (Tonight Show), dies at 90
  • Sep 16 Samuel Z. Arkoff, American film producer and co-founder of American International Pictures, dies at 83
  • Sep 17 Barry Shepherd, Australian cricket batsman (9 Tests, 5 x 50s; West Australia CA), dies at 64
  • Sep 17 Lou Dog, Dalmatian dog, mascot for band Sublime, dies at 12
  • Sep 18 Ernie Coombs, American-Canadian children's entertainer (Mr. Dressup), dies at 73
  • Sep 19 Jan Koplowitz, German writer, dies at 91
  • Sep 20 Marcos Pérez Jiménez, President of Venezuela (1953-58), dies at 87
  • Sep 22 Isaac Stern, American-Ukrainian concert violinist (debut San Francisco Symphony), dies at 81
  • Sep 23 Ron Hewitt, Welsh footballer (b. 1928)
  • Sep 24 Peter Shore, British politician (Labour), dies at 77
  • Sep 24 Ruthven Wade, British Air Chief marshal, dies at 81
  • Sep 27 Herman Berlinski, Polish-American organist, composer and choral conductor (The Tetragrammaton), dies at 91 [1]
  • Sep 29 Frank Gasparro, American chief engraver of the US Mint (1965-81), dies at 92
  • Sep 29 Mabel Fairbanks, Seminole-African American figure skater and coach (US Figure Skating Hall of Fame), dies at 85 [1]

Nguyễn Văn Thiệu (1923-2001)

Sep 29 President of South Vietnam (1965-75), dies of a stroke at 78